Africa-Press – Kenya. Two senior police officers of the disbanded DCI’s Special Services Unit (SSU) have been recalled and posted to new posts. They were on forced leave as their juniors faced probe into a case of two missing Indians and their Kenyan driver.
The team was disbanded in September and all 50 officers sent on leave before some of them were last week recalled. Other junior officers who were also on leave have been sent to various stations, officials aware of the developments said.
About 12 others are facing investigations into the incident. Last week, Pius Gitari who was the head of the unit was recalled from compulsory leave and transferred to Mandera as the county criminal investigations officer (CCIO).
Gitari’s deputy, Alfred Njoka, who was also on compulsory leave, has been posted to Western regional criminal investigations officer’s (RCIO) office, officials said.
SSU has been reliable for long and were relied on to respond to any murder incident involving violent criminals on the run or unsolved issues and even terrorism.
It was a revamped team from an earlier one that was referred to as Special Crimes Prevention Unit (SCPU), which was reorganised in 2019 by former DCI boss George Kinoti.
They also handled fraud, drug related cases, terror related incidents where they were called as back up team and other forms of crime. SSU officers were also mainly used to carry out special duties such raids.
The posting of the two senior officers came barely two days after the 12 junior SSU officers who had been detained over the disappearance of two Indians and their Kenyan taxi driver were released on a free personal bonds.
Kahawa law courts chief magistrate Diana Mochache, who has been appointed a High Court judge released chief inspector Peter Muthee, John Kamau, Joseph Mbugua, Joseph Mbaya, David Kipsoi, Stephen Mutunda, Paul Muriithi, Francis Ndonye and Simon Gikonyo who had been in police custody for almost 40 days.
Mochache also released corporal Hillary Limo, constable Elkana Mugendi, constable Boniface Otieno and constable Fredrick Thuku Kamau who were arrested on Wednesday and arraigned on Thursday under the same terms.
The officers’ lawyer Danstan Omari had opposed the prosecution saying the police had more than enough time to complete investigations as well as have the officers’ DNA tested. The samples will now be taken at a day to be agreed between the prosecutors and the lawyers of the suspects.
The investigators from the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) have maintained that the officers are linked to the forceful disappearance of the missing Indians—Mohammed Said Sami and Zulfiqar Ahmed and their driver Nicodemus Mwania.
The IAU detectives have further said that during interrogations so far conducted, it was demonstrated to them by way of technology that the officers were at the scene of crime and at the Aberdares National Park where the three victims are believed to have been taken after their alleged abduction from Ole Sereni hotel. Two other civilians who had been arrested over the issue are out on bond.
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